58bits - Other

58 was the order number I was given for the first smoothie I ever ordered in China. When my order came up the guy shouted 'wu shur ba!', 'wu shur ba!' (58 in Chinese). I shouted back 'wu shur ba!' and collected my smoothie. I couldn't stop saying it for a while after that. Everywhere I went I kept saying  'wu shur ba!'  Obviously my friends in Shanghai thought I was mental. =8-)

Either that or it was the shortest, easiest to remember and available domain name I could come up with as a moniker for my mini-blogosphere.

You choose.

Born in Mississauga, went to high-school in Markham and college in Toronto. Grew up with a very 'Canadian' view of the world.

Spent a few years after graduation working in a laboratory as a research assistant (doing terrible things to cute little Chinese Hamsters) before it began to occur to me that working in Biology might not be for me. I spent a year working for IBM on a short term manufacturing contract in preparation for what I thought was going to be a year-out in Europe.

I flew to the UK in 1990 - September 17th to be precise (it was a dark and rainy night... lightening was everywhere).

Between travels (and while temping in an office in Stockport) I was offered my first job in IT - thanks to a kind gentleman named David Medcalf.  (My 'geekish' tendancies had not gone unnoticed). After 18 months on a help-desk at RoMEC, I accepted an offer to work for VNU publications - which meant that after a culturally educational stay in the North of England - I was now headed for the big city of London.

I helped to build editorial and publishing systems at VNU - which was a great way to get to know more about publishing, networks, Apple Macs and the journalist scene in London. In 1994 I moved over to Macmillan Publishers. Macmillan was probably my biggest break in IT. The office I started in on the Fulham Road was still using carbon paper and typewriters (this was 1994!). I was given a lot of freedom at Macmillan- free to succeed and fail. It was a formative five years and I'm grateful for the experience. In 1999 I decided to take another year-out to travel, spending the majority of my time in Asia.

In 2001 I joined a startup venture in Bangkok; an online, rights managed stock photography agency - which turned into the 'business experience of a lifetime'. It was tough going - and I learned a lot about business and people in the process.

In 2005 I was back in the UK working for Datapharm Publishers Ltd. A great assignment and a good bunch of people.

I've since started an MSc in Information Security at RHUL - which has turned out to be brilliant so far... and after that who knows what next...

Feel very lucky to have lived, travelled and worked across three continents. It's been an adventure to say the least.

If you've made it this far... and want a more formal introduction - then my CV is at http://www.abouch.com

'Per Ardua Ad Astra'

… well at least my version of a short consumer report.

I fly long-haul at least once a year. On the last trip I borrowed a set of noise cancellation headphones from a friend. Noise cancellation headphones contain a little battery powered receiver, usually in the headphone cord near your chest. It picks-up constant ambient sound noise and generates an inverse signal that cancels out a large portion of the ambient background noise. You don’t actually have to be listening to anything for them to work. Great when you want to sleep.

My friends set were a pair of Sennheiser PXC 250 – they were ok – although the regular headphone style is a little cumbersome. I was hoping to find a set of earbud-style noise cancellation headphones for my next trip in a week’s time. I normally do just enough research on the web before making any electronic consumer purchases to be ready and armed to shop and compare. And most times when I’ve failed to do that I’ve paid the price. Sadly this occasion was no exception. While in the local shopping center yesterday I came across a set of Philips SBC HN060 Active noise canceling headphones - earbud-style – and so I thought what the heck – time was limited – I picked them up.

First disappointment was that the battery supplied had leaked and was unusable (fortunately not inside the headphone battery pack). Second BIG disappointment was the sound quality. I have a really great set of Sony MDR-EX71 earbud style headphones (in my diminishing collection of Sony gear) and they are the best I’ve used to date – sound quality is excellent – good range and good low frequency response. The Philips active noise canceling headphones sounded tinny and weak. In fact the overall impression of poor manufactured quality and poor sound quality meant that this was a mistaken purchase for sure.

Although a little over a year old – here’s a good CNET review of noise cancellation headphones. Will be looking for the Sony set soon.